Language Quiz - 2016
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This document provides information about various languages and linguistic topics through a series of questions and answers. It discusses the Proto-Indo-European language, the creation of the Korean alphabet known as Hangul, linguistic theories such as the Kurgan hypothesis, and notable linguists such as August Schleicher and J.R.R. Tolkien. It also defines linguistic terminology like alphabets, abjads, and abugidas.
![Q
• The Sheep and the Horses
(English Translation)
– [On a hill,] a sheep that had
no wool saw horses, one of
them pulling a heavy wagon,
one carrying a big load, and
one carrying a man quickly.
The sheep said to the horses:
"My heart pains me, seeing a
man driving horses." The
horses said: "Listen, sheep,
our hearts pain us when we
see this: a man, the master,
makes the wool of the sheep
into a warm garment for
himself. And the sheep has no
wool." Having heard this, the
sheep fled into the plain.
• Also known as Schleicher’s fable,
after the German linguist August
Schleicher (1821 – 1868).
• This was the ‘1st’ story in which
language? / Significance of the
story?](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/languagequiz-160116164339/85/Language-Quiz-2016-2-320.jpg)
![Q Part B
• In a letter to his son he wrote,
– “Nobody believes me when I say that my long book ___ is
an attempt to create a world in which a form of language
agreeable to my personal aesthetic might seem real. But it
is true. An enquirer (among many) asked what ___ was all
about, and whether it was an allegory. And I said it was an
effort to create a situation in which a common greeting
would be elen si-‘la lu-‘menn omentielmo [‘A star shines
on the hour of our meeting’], and that the phrase long
antedated the book.
• The languages came first, insisting on existence; the
stories came later, and gave them a home.
• Writer? Book / Blank?](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/languagequiz-160116164339/85/Language-Quiz-2016-24-320.jpg)
Language Quiz - 2016
- 1. A quiz on languages And related topics
- 2. Q • The Sheep and the Horses (English Translation) – [On a hill,] a sheep that had no wool saw horses, one of them pulling a heavy wagon, one carrying a big load, and one carrying a man quickly. The sheep said to the horses: "My heart pains me, seeing a man driving horses." The horses said: "Listen, sheep, our hearts pain us when we see this: a man, the master, makes the wool of the sheep into a warm garment for himself. And the sheep has no wool." Having heard this, the sheep fled into the plain. • Also known as Schleicher’s fable, after the German linguist August Schleicher (1821 – 1868). • This was the ‘1st’ story in which language? / Significance of the story?
- 4. A • Artificially created story written in Proto-Indo- European. – A Proto language does not have any documented evidence to support its existence. It is usually a hypothetical, reconstructed common ancestor of other known languages.
- 5. Q • Nora Ephron’s parody in the New Yorker, • ‘The Girl who fixed the ___” … “Please,” he said. “I must see you. The ___ on my computer isn’t working.” He was cradling an iBook in his arms. She looked at him. He looked at her. She looked at him. He looked at her. And then she did what she usually did when she had run out of italic thoughts: she shook her head. “I can’t really go on without __ ___,” he said. “We’re in Sweden.” … … She went to the bathroom and got a Q- tip and gently cleaned the area around the Alt key. It popped into place. Then she pressed “U.” __ ___ danced before her eyes. Finally, she spoke. “It’s fixed,” she said. “Thanks,” he said. She thought about smiling, but she’d smiled three hundred pages earlier, and once was enough. • Fill in.
- 6. A • The Girl who fixed the Umlaut
- 7. Q • He holds the unfortunate record of being the only person who has held this post, and was not re-elected a second time. Less than a year after he stepped down, he became the 1st Secretary General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). Who? Which more prominent position did he hold prior to this?
- 8. A • Boutros Boutros-Ghali – UN Sec General from 1992 – 1996 – La Francophonie Sec Gen from Nov 1997 - 2002
- 9. Q • This word in Russian refers to a burial mound or barrow, and is heavily used in Soviet archaeology. Present in many Slavic languages, it is believed to have originated in some Turkic language. In modern Turkish, the word means fortress. • Its use in English is associated with the most widely accepted theory on the spread of Indo- European languages. What’s the good word?
- 10. A • Kurgan • Kurgan hypothesis 1st formulated by Marija Gimbutas on where the Indo-European languages originated
- 11. Q • This was created by the ‘Hall of Worthies’ in the mid 15th century. The document, “The Proper Sounds for the Education of the People (1446)” says, – "A wise man can acquaint himself with them before the morning is over; a stupid man can learn them in the space of ten days.“ • What?
- 12. A • Hangul alphabet (Korean) – 24 letters • Until then Chinese script was used, which was quite challenging to write with, and left most of the population illiterate.
- 13. Q • What 3 word phrase was coined by Otto Jespersen to describe the major changes to pronunciation in the English language that took place between 1350 and 1700? • This was also accompanied with standardization of spelling, and has caused the peculiarities of English spelling that we face now. Word Pronunciation Late Middle English before Modern English after bite /iː/ /aɪ/ meet /eː/ /iː/ meat /ɛː/ mate /aː/ /eɪ/ out /uː/ /aʊ/ boot /oː/ /uː/ boat /ɔː/ GA /oʊ/, RP /əʊ/
- 14. A • The ‘Great Vowel Shift’
- 15. Q • Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a (now web based) publication that contains statistics of 7469 languages and dialects, and is currently in its 18th edition (2015). This has been published since 1951 by SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics) International based in Dallas, Texas. • Ethnologue is considered as the standard reference in its field and has been largely responsible for the current ISO 639-3 codes on languages. • SIL with 6000 members in 50 countries, holds formal consultative status with the UN, and has been recognized by the UNESCO for their contributions. • What was the primary purpose of setting up Ethnologue, and for the founding of SIL in 1934? This continues to be a major objective of the organization. • TLDR: What was the primary objective behind establishing Summer Institute of Linguistics & its publication Ethnologue, which is the reference when it comes to languages of the world?
- 16. A • To translate the Christian Bible into local languages. – SIL is a Christian non-profit organization – Founded by Presbyterian minister William Cameron Townsend, a Disciples of Church missionary to Guatemala – Townsend also started Wycliffe Bible Translators, a sister organization to SIL
- 17. Q • The map shows the spread of the _____ language family. The name is taken from the ethnic groups speaking these languages, and is believed to mean ‘men’. This name also lends itself to 3 tributaries of the Yenisei river, viz, Nizhnyaya (Lower) ____, Podkamennaya (Stony) ______, and Verkhnyaya (Upper) _____. These rivers form the western boundary of the ____ people. • Ethnic group -> Language family -> Names of rivers -> The incident near the stony river most people (i.e. outsiders) who know this name would associate it with. • What?
- 18. A • Tungusic people • Tungusic languages – Manchu-Tungus, Tungus • Tunguska Rivers • Tunguska - The region between the rivers and the Pacific • Tunguska event of 1908 – Large (meteor?) explosion near the Podkamennaya (Stony) Tunguska.
- 19. Q Map depicting writings systems used in various parts to the world. What are Abjad & Abugida? How do they differ from Alphabets?
- 20. A • Alphabet – Each character unit (symbol) denotes a consonant or vowel. • Abugida – A symbol denotes a consonant + vowel. • Abjad – Vowels are optional or absent.
- 21. Q • With 4 million + speakers which is the only language (or group of,) belonging to the Indo-Aryan family that is spoken exclusively outside the Indian subcontinent?
- 22. A
- 23. Q Part A • ‘A Secret Vice’ is due for publication by HarperCollins on 11 Feb 2016. It is based on a lecture that was originally given in 1931, and deals with _____ languages in general, and relation of mythology to its language. • Lecture by? And on?
- 24. Q Part B • In a letter to his son he wrote, – “Nobody believes me when I say that my long book ___ is an attempt to create a world in which a form of language agreeable to my personal aesthetic might seem real. But it is true. An enquirer (among many) asked what ___ was all about, and whether it was an allegory. And I said it was an effort to create a situation in which a common greeting would be elen si-‘la lu-‘menn omentielmo [‘A star shines on the hour of our meeting’], and that the phrase long antedated the book. • The languages came first, insisting on existence; the stories came later, and gave them a home. • Writer? Book / Blank?
- 25. A • Constructed Languages – Invented Languages – Artistic Languages • Tolkien on Lord of the Rings